Youjo Senki – 10

I find it strange Youjo Senki has had a second delay in an episode’s translation—and one so close to the season’s end—but given how delicious this week came to be, I’m in a forgiving mood. Youjo Senki largely dispensed with the action and focused heavily on the strategic picture this time, one area guaranteed to turn me right on.

Part of the reason for me is how realistic the Empire’s plan was. Originally I found it strange how everything was bet on a mage rocket drop on the enemy headquarters. Normally you do not know the exact command location, and typically staff level command is positioned far in the rear beside a logistical hub (i.e. town/city) with decent defense. Destroying a high level HQ will also do nothing to disrupt the lower level commands critical for maintaining the front. The key was this attack was on the communications centre, not the true HQ. Communication hubs are more easily located—although Tanya’s personal failure showed how difficult it can still be—and destroying them will wreak unholy havoc on command hierarchy, especially in the nascent age of radio. This was an excellent bit of strategic display, but quickly became overshadowed by the actual offensive. I should not be all too surprised the 1940 Ardennes offensive popped up here given everything else so far, but it’s still nifty seeing this attack play out in WW1 conditions. Particularly fascinating too was starting it off with a tunnel detonation right out of the Somme and Vimy Ridge, literally ripping a hole in the Republican lines. How the Republic and now not-Britain respond to this attack will be incredibly interesting.

The other major development this week of course rests with our one-eyed Anson Sue, now fully back from the dead. Anson certainly has powered up a few levels, apparently transfixed on annihilating our little blondie to the detriment of all else. Given how quickly he dispatched Glantz—see, told you he would be the first—he certainly is a threat now, but it remains to be seen just how effective his god-powered form actually is. It’s already a given Tanya will defeat Anson (again) like any protagonist worth their salt, but I’ll be slightly irritated if it’s a cakewalk like before. Provided Glantz actually died, however, and a few more squad members bite the dust before Tanya finishes our flying Terminator off, I’ll be one happy camper, especially if Tanya herself has trouble finally putting him down.

With Youjo Senki now at the endgame, the only questions remaining are where this story will see us off, and whether the war will be over in time for Christmas the end credits. Given the rumours about this show actually being a two cour affair and how far Youjo Senki has deviated from the light novels, lots of options exist for concluding this season. One thing you can be sure of though is that the final two episodes will be very entertaining.

Random Tidbits

Unlike rockets, the tanks here are not God-inspired. Besides seeing Panzer III Ausf. Js a good ~17 years early, the Republican commanders were well aware of tanks and mechanized infantry, indicating the concept existed before Tanya (and God) entered the picture.

Explosions apparently are the meme this season, as Viktoriya helps prove. Art changes be damned, she’s now too pure for this world.

John Bull for the curious is the personification of Great Britain, basically Britain’s version of Uncle Sam.

Anson Sue did die on that day of the attack. So yeah, we might get an original ending for this. But then again, everything else is kinda how the light novel set it up. The only difference here is that the anime is planning to have Tanya struggle a little bit on this battle.

Technically speaking, in the light novel, the end of the war against the Republic was fast and easy. After that Tanya returns to the Capital. Gets awarded. And then we skip forward to a reported in the future talking about the events of the Great War.

At this point am thinking it’s world war 1.5. with Mages replacing the rapid development of airpower. Mages filling close range tactical roles (like a attack helicopters), while planes and bombers handling air-superiority and long range bombing

Yeah the Pz. III is WW2 as mentioned above. It really makes this setting interesting because the technology popping up is from ~20 years into the future, the stuff designed to eliminate the typical WW1 trench warfare conditions.

Well LN is atm 7 volumes(?) so I guess there’s enough material for 24 eps as we’re roughly in Vol 3. As Vol 1 covers up until Tanya’s formation of the 203rd. Vol. 2 covers Dacia up till Norden I think.

Poor 2LT Glantz, he might as well have been wearing a red shirt since two episodes ago.

Looks like the NOT!British are finally intervening although it might be a little late to save what is left of the NOT!French army. Perhaps they will pull off a Dunkirk? Evacuating a whole mass of men might not be a big victory but it brings the Free French Army into the equation.

I do love the delicious series of well executed operations by the Imperial leadership. Goes to show that they think big and audacity is in their blood.

I wouldn’t be surprised honestly if this is gearing up to be a not-Dunkirk. It keeps the Republican forces in play, gives an excuse to bring not-Britain into the fight, and keeps Tanya that much further from her peaceful, comfy life. Good method for dragging the story out :P

It would be a pretty solid move on the anime’s part. I mean, they’re really pushing the ‘Empire against the world’ angle, so having the Republic forces being evacuated and then teaming up with not-Britain later would sell that visually.

You know, since all the countries have their own visually-distinct mage styles, which was clever.

“Particularly fascinating too was starting it off with a tunnel detonation right out of the Somme and Vimy Ridge, literally ripping a hole in the Republican lines. How the Republic and now not-Britain respond to this attack will be incredibly interesting.”

Only this one actually succeeded whereas the British attempt to do such a thing in WWI failed since German trackers (each side having them listening for enemy digging and such) overheard their digging and their forces evacuated the area by the time it was blown up, so the detonation (which, IIRC, was the largest man-made explosion ever at the time) accomplished nothing. Clearly neither side seems to have such trackers here though.

Interestingly it wasn’t so much the German knowledge of the mining as the blast’s damage which rendered it useless. The size of the explosion rendered the land damn near impassable, impeding the infantry advance long enough that even if the Germans had manned the front line, reinforcements would have successfully blocked the advance regardless.

It’s too late for not Britain to decisively intervene to save the Republic. The question is if the Not France decides for unconditional surrender or does the Free French form? That French Colonel looks like a not De Gaulle in the making.

I laughed out loud when I saw that not-Britain’s mage rides were broom-shaped. Harry Potter reference? Or did Britain have some stereotype/cultural reference to broom-riding before Harry Potter?

I have started reading the light novel (on volume 2 now) as well as the manga. So far, I think the manga is the best of the three mediums not only for its eclectic artwork, but also because it adds a lot more to the running joke of Tanya’s misunderstandings of what others around her are thinking. The manga has inner thoughts and background actions (that are not explicitly stated in the light novel) to characters in response to what Tanya says and does.